Seahawks Favorites For Vikings Free Agent Ray Edwards

According to Mr. Seattle John Clayton he believes the Seattle Seahawks are the favorites to land free agent defensive end Ray Edwards when the epically chaotic marketplace opens this Saturday (presumably).

It’s natural to assume that most of the big free agent targets will mesh with the teams that have the most money to spend. The Seahawks are in great position because they have significantly more cap room then any 2010 playoff team does. While the Saints miracle may have cost them draft position, it does bode well for them on the open market that they made (and won, most importantly), in the post-season.

Defensive end will be a number one priority along with retaining their most significant free agent in Brandon Mebane. If they could retain him and add Edwards the front four would leapfrog the linebacking unit as the backbone of this defense.

It’s also worth noting that Clayton cites Tampa Bay, Houston, and Carolina eight times as being leaders or contenders for the best players. Many teams are going to have money and don’t think a someone with significantly less cap room (then $60 million) won’t splurge to outbid a said team (Washington?), for a Cullen Jenkins.

I wouldn’t be stunned to see them come away with something along the lines of an Edwards-Joseph/Cromartie-Gallery-Edwards-Leach haul among the big names out there. Even at an average salary of $7 million for the first three that leaves them roughly $20 million in cap room to do what they please.

Buckle your seat belts and bow to Pete Carroll for cleaning house last year and reducing several veteran contracts (I wonder why?) because this is one of the best times in league history to have cap space.